Carlos Alberto Rentería Mantilla
Encyclopedia
Tuluá
Tuluá is a city located in the heart of the Cauca Valley, Colombia Valle del Cauca, Colombia. A major industrial and commercial center, it is the region's fourth largest city after Cali, the department capital, Buenaventura and Palmira. Founded around 1741 by Juan de Lemos y Aguirre, it has a...
, Valle del Cauca) is a former Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n narcotrafficker and crime boss
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
, presumed leader of the Norte del Valle Cartel
Norte del Valle Cartel
The Norte del Valle Cartel, or North Valley Cartel, is a drug cartel that operates principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia...
. Rentería is believed by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government to be holding a leadership position within the drug cartel, he has been labeled "one of Colombia's most powerful and sophisticated narcotics traffickers" by Adam Szubin, Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control
Office of Foreign Assets Control
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is an agency of the United States Department of the Treasury under the auspices of the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. OFAC administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on U.S...
, United States Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
. The Attorney General of Colombia
Attorney General of Colombia
The Office of the Attorney General of Colombia is the Colombian institution part of the Colombian judicial branch of Government with administrative autonomy designed to prosecute offenders, investigate crimes, review judicial processes and accuse penal law infractions against judges and courts of...
and the Colombian National Police
Colombian National Police
The National Police of Colombia is the national police force of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military of Colombia , it constitutes along with them the "Public Force" and is also controlled by the Ministry of Defense. They are the largest police force in Colombia...
accuse Rentería of narcotrafficking and money laundering.
Role
As chief in the Norte del Valle Cartel, it is believed Rentería shares in the decision making of the cartel in aspects of transportation of drug shipments, briberyBribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
of political officials and assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
s. Rentería also operates his own organization under the Cartel capable of multi-ton cocaine shipments, as well as investing in other cocaine smuggling transports. The Norte del Valle cartel operates principally out of the North Valle del Cauca
Valle del Cauca Department
Valle del Cauca is a department of Colombia. It is in the western side of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean, and it is considered one of the most important departments in the Republic of Colombia. Its capital is Santiago de Cali...
region. It is believed the cocaine is shipped from around the neighboring Colombian Departments
Departments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
as well as Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and other South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n countries before being transported again via trucks and airplanes to the Pacific Coast port of Buenaventura, Colombia
Buenaventura, Colombia
Buenaventura is a port city and municipality located in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia . Buenaventura is the main port of Colombia in the Pacific Ocean....
. From Buenaventura the cocaine, through Renterías' operation, is primary transported to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
before being shipped again to the United States via go-fast boat
Go-fast boat
A go-fast boat, or cigarette boat, is a small, fast boat designed with a long narrow platform and a planing hull to enable it to reach high speeds....
s, fishing vessel
Fishing vessel
A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing....
s, and other maritime shipping methods.
Law Enforcement
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
regarding Rentería was unsealed in 1994 in the Southern District of Florida
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is the federal United States district court with jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida....
, charging Rentería with conspiracy to import, possess and distribute cocaine in the United States. In 2004 an indictment was unsealed in the District Court for the District of Columbia
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia is a federal district court. Appeals from the District are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a...
, charging Rentería with violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
(RICO). In addition to the indictments a reward
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
of $5 million was placed for information leading to the capture of Rentería.
Finances
Beginning on March 17, 2005, the United States Department of Treasury announced its first actions targeting the financial holdings of Rentería. In 2005 Rentería was first declared a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker, the label permits the United States to seize assets connected to Rentería through front companiesFront organization
A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy groups, or corporations...
and associates. Since 2005 the Department of Treasury has announced over seven actions targeting Renterías financial holdings. The companies designated range from agricultural, clinics, hotels, accounting firms and the Colombian soccer team Cortuluá
Cortuluá
Corporación Club Deportivo Tuluá, is a Colombian football club based in the city of Tuluá. The club was founded October 16, 1967 and plays its home games at the Doce de Octubre stadium, which has a capacity of approximately 16,000 seats.-History:...
. It is believed Renterías' money contributed significantly to the economic growth in the area, as business operations, hotels and clinics began to be built to launder his money through.
On September 1, 2006, Colombian authorities confiscated around 34 properties in the northern Caribbean region, mainly in the city of Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
and in other regions of Colombia; in the capital Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
and near his major area of operations; Valle del Cauca Department
Valle del Cauca Department
Valle del Cauca is a department of Colombia. It is in the western side of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean, and it is considered one of the most important departments in the Republic of Colombia. Its capital is Santiago de Cali...
. The operation was dubbed "Patria 44" by the Colombian Central Directorate of the Judicial Police and Intelligence
Central Directorate of the Judicial Police and Intelligence
The Central Directorate of the Judicial Police and Intelligence is a Directorate of the Colombian National Police in charge of judicial and certain intelligence tasks.-History:...
(DIJIN).
Arrest & Extradition
On July 4, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. Carlos Alberto Renteria Mantilla aka "Beto" was captured in Venezuela by local security forces with the assistance of British intelligence services.He was extradited to the United States on July 13, 2010.
See also
- Cali CartelCali CartelThe Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. The Cali Cartel was founded by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, Gilberto and Miguel, as well as associate José Santacruz Londoño...
- CocaineCocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
- Cuba-United States relationsCuba-United States relationsCuba and the United States of America have had an interest in one another since well before either of their independence movements. Plans for purchase of Cuba from the Spanish Empire were put forward at various times by United States...
- Narcotrafficking in Colombia
- Norte del Valle CartelNorte del Valle CartelThe Norte del Valle Cartel, or North Valley Cartel, is a drug cartel that operates principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia...
- Medellín CartelMedellín CartelThe Medellín Cartel was an organized network of "drug suppliers and smugglers" originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The drug cartel operated in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Central America, the United States, as well as Canada and Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded and...